


Secondary

by Dani



Category: Boy Meets World
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-27
Updated: 2012-01-27
Packaged: 2017-10-30 05:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/328194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dani/pseuds/Dani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of Shawn and Minkus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secondary

**Author's Note:**

> There is some mention of underage touching in a somewhat sexual manner. I don't particularly think it's offensive but people can get tied up in knots over things like this so I'm warning about it. There's also some mention of bullying, but not all that much more than was in the original show.
> 
> I don't own the show, the characters, the setting, or anything else. Try to sue but I own nothing.

                Shawn Hunter never liked school.  He always looked outside, saw the sunshine and knew that there were better things waiting for him outside his brick and mortar prison.  Since kindergarten, the only thing that kept him in class was the fact that Cory would never skip and even if he did, he would end up in trouble.  Shawn’s parents wouldn’t really care, but skipping school without Cory would be worse than sitting through class any day.

            School was predictable, and Shawn hated predictable.  Every day it was the same people in the same desks year after year.  Shawn and Cory say in the last and second last seat respectively, the closest two chairs to the door.  Whether they were studying feudalism or Anne Frank, Cory and Shawn were guaranteed to be the first out the door the second the bell rang. 

            Shawn always found ways to keep himself entertained though; there were always distractions available for an imaginative mind.  In first grade, for instance, Shawn learned how to make a paper airplane and used that skill well for many years.  In grade 2, he discovered the ruler catapult and the miracle that is the spit-ball.  In grade 3, table football became a favourite, and Cory beat the school record for the number of times he was told to turn around.  Throughout all these distractions, Shawn also passed notes and talked to Cory – All part of his valiant quest to make the inside almost as fun as the outside.

            Shawn’s biggest distraction appeared on the first day back from Christmas break in grade 4.  This distraction kept him entertained for the rest of elementary school.  It all started when he walked into class with Cory, telling him about the new basketball he got for Christmas, and there _he_ was in the front row: The Minkus.  That particular day still stands out in Shawn’s memory because for the first time ever, he lost track of the conversation with Cory and bumped into his own desk. 

            Minkus didn’t fit in from the first moment.  For one thing, he was dressed up and it wasn’t even picture day.  His clothes were ironed, leaving perfectly straight creases up and down his forearms.  Minkus wore glasses that covered half his face, making his eyes look huge and his mouth seem small – until he opened it, that is – and he just sat there, in the first row looking so eager.  Shawn was taller than most of the kids in his class but he had never been a bully.  For some reason though, Shawn was just itching to roll Minkus in the mud and mess up all that perfection.  Before Minkus was even introduced to the class, Shawn hated him. 

            “Class this is Stuart Minkus. His parents just moved to the area from New York.”

            “Are you sure they didn’t move here from Mars?” Shawn yelled.  It wasn’t his best joke, but the class laughed anyway.

            Before the teacher could discipline Shawn, Minkus stepped forward and said, “Obviously you’re not aware of the latest research which states that there is no life on Mars, but that’s all right. If you want to devote your attention to baser pursuits and proceed to flaunt your ignorance among your peers, who am I to stop you?  Needless to say – yes, I certainly came from New York. I went to private school there, which thankfully kept the wilfully ignorant and the slow in a separate class, where their needs could be met without inhibiting the learning of the other students.”

            The class was completely silent.  Shawn only understood about a quarter of what Minkus had said, but from the smirk on Minkus’ face and the way the teacher was trying to cover a laugh with a cough, Shawn knew it must have been an insult of some kind. 

            “Yeah, well, you’re a nerd,” said Shawn defensively, feeling strangely self-conscious.

            Minkus moved to take his seat in the front again, throwing over his shoulder, “Better a nerd than a fool.”

            After school, Shawn broke Minkus glasses, pushed him in the mud, and took the five dollars Minkus has saved from lunch.  The other boy glared blindly from his spot on the ground and Shawn felt strangely better.

 

            For a smart kid, Shawn decided, Minkus wasn’t very bright.  He could never just keep his head down and try not to be noticed, like the other geeks; he always had to get the last word – a word which usually contained four or more syllables.

            Shawn and Cory were not bullies, not really.  Usually they mostly just ignored the socially less fortunate, but Minkus was a special case.  Minkus has this way of looking at Shawn, from head to toe, as though measuring his worth as a person, and then Minkus would smirk.  It was as though Minkus could see through the popularity and the hair, and realize the secret that Shawn would do anything to keep.  Minkus knew in an instant what no one, not even Cory, had realized from years of knowing Shawn.  Minkus knew that Shawn was trailer trash and would never be any better.  So Minkus could smirk, because no matter what Shawn did to Minkus, Shawn would always be inferior.  This is what made Minkus the exception. Those moments when Shawn could find himself rubbing Minkus’ face in the mud or shoving his head down the toilet, he felt powerful, in control, but mainly superior. 

          Cory followed Shawn’s lead and picked on Minkus whenever the opportunity arose, but never with the same focus, or intent.  For Cory it was just something they did. For Shawn, it became a mission.

          Shawn ended up voicing at least the surface of his thoughts to Cory one day as Minkus walked past.

          “You know, for a smart kid, Minkus isn’t very bright.”

          Cory nodded uncertainly in response.

          “If he was, he’d stop acting so full of himself.” Shawn’s eyes trailed Minkus’ retreating back.  _He’d stop looking at me as though I was garbage_ , he finished silently.

 

          Over the next two years, Shawn had made an art form out of picking on Minkus.  Whether it was insults in class or bullying in the hallways, Shawn never missed an opportunity to shove him into a locker or stick gum in his hair.  Hours upon hours were spent in detention – Feeny wouldn’t abide anyone bullying his favourite student – but Shawn felt it was worth it.  Minkus-baiting was his favourite hobby: the thing that made school fun.  It was in sixth grade, though, that Minkus became a different kind of distraction. 

           It was winter again, and Minkus started wearing heavy sweaters to school over his collared shirts.  They were usually solid, grown-up colours like hunter green or navy blue – sometimes even maroon.  Shawn would never have noticed, except one day Cory and Topanga were both asked to take the attendance to the office: Cory to be fair, and Topanga to make sure Cory came back. Obviously Feeny didn’t know Cory as well as Shawn did.

           Shawn’s eyes wandered around the room until his eyes landed on Minkus, who had his hand raised and was frantically trying to get Mr. Feeny to call on him. Minkus’ shirt had ridden up.  There was a pale gap between the waist band of his black trousers and his hunter-green sweater.  The skin was milky in colour; the bumps of Minkus’ spine were protruding and taunting Shawn.

           Shawn was absolutely transfixed.  He just stared, taking in every detail, imagining how soft the skin would feel under his fingertips as he traced each vertebra.

           Cory sank back down into his seat, complaining loudly about Topanga and effectively breaking Shawn’s trance.

           Shawn shook his head to clear it and threw an insult in Minkus’ direction.

           Minkus just ignored him.

 

           Mr. Feeny lost all hope of gaining Shawn’s attention after that winter.  From that moment on, Shawn was perpetually shifting his desk, dropping his papers, and getting up to sharpen his pencil: anything to get him in line of sight to Minkus.

           Minkus had started to notice the scrutiny as well, sometimes locking eyes with Shawn and tilting his head to the right, as though trying to solve a particularly difficult math problem.

           Shawn would always steal Minkus’ lunch money after those encounters, as vengeance for making him feel weird – almost guilty.

           Minkus kept watching him curiously though, making Shawn’s mouth go dry and his stomach clench with fear.

           Minkus was a smart kid, anyone could tell you that, but he couldn’t figure out the Shawn Hunter puzzle until the answer was staring him right in the face.

 

           It was during the model family project that everything went to crap.  Neither wanted to be paired together but they had absolutely no choice in the matter.

           Shawn was in a very unique position.  For the first time, ever, he had to spend time with Minkus _and_ he had to be civil.  Whenever Shawn got these weird feelings in the pit of his stomach, he couldn’t shove or insult Minkus to make the feelings dissipate, and by the end of the ‘family meeting’ Shawn couldn’t look Minkus in the eye anymore.  There was no way they could ‘meet in private to discuss their characters further’ as Topanga suggested, though they had both agreed to do just that.  Much to Shawn’s relief and chagrin, it was Minkus who gave him an out.

           Minkus stopped him as they left Cory’s house, saying “Simply put, you want a brother like you and I want a brother like me, so let’s just act like each other and then we won’t have to meet again.”

           Indignation stabbed through Shawn.  Forgetting for a moment that this was essentially what he wanted to happen, Shawn opened his mouth to argue against the suggestion.  Before he could respond though, Minkus had turned the corner and continued home.

           Shawn changed direction entirely, heading to the public library for the first time in his life.  He was determined to out-Minkus the Minkus, and he needed the vocabulary to go with it.

 

            It was kind of amazing how well Shawn and Minkus knew each other in the sixth grade.  With no further instructions beyond ‘act like each other’, they pulled it off.  The wardrobe was flawless, the mannerisms perfect.  Shawn had the perfect posture, Minkus was slumped.  Shawn kept pushing his glasses up his nose and spoke with the obnoxious authority that – up until now – only Minkus had ever managed.  Minkus, for his part, was continually dragging a hand through his hair and came up with insults that could actually be understood by others.

            The best part though, was when Minkus ripped his shirt open. 

            Minkus claimed he was simply solving the problem Shawn’s way, but Shawn wasn’t so sure.  For one thing, he wouldn’t have solved it that way.  Getting a tattoo to spite his parents was a little too far even for him.  There was also a weird look in Minkus’ eyes, similar to the questioning Shawn was used to, but there was also something else which Shawn couldn’t quite understand until right before Minkus did it.  Minkus was, at heart, a scientist; and he was testing a hypothesis and evaluating Shawn’s reaction.

            Shawn tried to be casual – joking, laughing, and giving Minkus a high-five, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

            Minkus stopped watching Shawn, obviously having found whatever it was he was looking for.  He turned his attention to everyone else, and in particular, to Feeny’s lecture.  There Minkus sat, still slumped, with his shirt open just inches away from Shawn.

            Almost of their own volition, Shawn’s fingers reached out, finger tips barely grazing the side of Minkus’ stomach, halfway between his ribs and waistband.

            Minkus jumped and began to turn toward Shawn but aborted the movement when he noticed Shawn’s hand pull away.  He sat perfectly still and kept his eyes firmly fixed on Mr. Feeny in the middle of the room. 

            Shawn glanced over.  The class was full but for once everyone was listening to Feeny and ignoring Shawn completely.

            Tentatively, Shawn reached out his hand again and laid his palm on the same spot, just to the left of Minkus’ belly button. 

            Minkus kept his face forward, scanning the faces of his classmates nervously, but he didn’t pull away.

            Another glance at the class confirmed that they were still oblivious.  Shawn felt emboldened.  Here he was doing something taboo in front of the entire class and nobody realized.  Shawn turned his attention back to Minkus, his hand sliding upward a few centimetres, and leaving Goosebumps in their wake. 

            A shiver ran through Minkus body as Shawn rubbed his hand back and forth across Minkus stomach.  His thumbed brushed across the bottom of the fake tattoo.  He paused momentary at the belly button, dipping a finger inside, before counting his way up Minkus ribs.

            Minkus inhaled sharply when Shawn haphazardly tapped his left nipple, but he still didn’t pull away, nor did he look Shawn’s way.  He seemed to know that whatever this spell was, it would be broken the second he acknowledged it.  So he kept scanning the class.

            Shawn circled the brown nub a little more purposefully causing Minkus breath to speed up and his hand to clench compulsively at his jeans.

            Shawn licked his lips and moved to gently roll the peak between his fingers when suddenly Minkus jerked his shoulder, harshly knocking Shawn’s hand away.

            Feeny was done his lesson and people had started shuffling their papers back into their desks.  No one was looking in their direction and everything seemed ordinary. It appeared that no one had noticed.  Minkus had shoved him away just in time.

            Minkus’ fingers were shaking slightly as he hurried to do up the buttons on his shirt, then he grabbed his books and left the class without even a glance in Shawn’s direction.

 

            “Shawn. What were you doing to Stuart?” Topanga asked, causing Shawn to choke on his water at the drinking fountain.

            Topanga had planned this well, cornering Shawn at the fountain during lunch while everyone else was in the cafeteria, knowing that he never brought a juice box.  They were in a hallway, but it was as private as a bedroom.

            “I don’t know what you mean,” Shawn said, staring at the cafeteria door.  He wondered how long it would take him to get back to the normalcy that his friends provided, and weighed the odds of whether she would follow and try to continue this conversation there.

            “Yesterday, during our presentation, you were....” She gestured vaguely, unsure of how to put it into words. “...You know.”

            Shawn thought back. He had been so sure no one had seen.  He’d checked the class several times and Minkus had been keeping a constant vigil.  Shawn tried to locate Topanga in his mind’s eye, but she was nowhere to be seen.  It suddenly hit Shawn.  Topanga had been behind him, the direction Minkus had refused to look and Shawn hadn’t thought to.  Topanga had been behind him, but so had–

            “Did Cory see?” Shawn demanded in a panicked rush.

            “No, he didn’t,” Topanga answered, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.  “No one did, except me.”

            “Please don’t tell anyone!” Shawn begged, his breath coming in bursts.

            “I won’t,” she promised, frowning at Shawn’s fear.  “I won’t!” she repeated, pulling Shawn into a hug and rocking him until he calmed down.  “It’ll be ok, Shawn.  Whatever it was, it’ll be ok.”

            Shawn pulled away and looked at Topanga: _really_ looked at her for the first time.  “Thanks. For not telling, I mean,” he said. Then he turned back to the cafeteria, and left Topanga alone with her thoughts.

 

            From that moment on, Minkus was dead to Shawn.  Shawn no longer picked on Minkus, bullied him or even looked at him.

            Minkus in turn was avoiding Shawn admirably.  He was taking his lunch in the library (where he was soon joined by Topanga), and going out the east exit from school even though it took longer.  They were so wrapped up in their own avoidance, they had no idea the other was doing the same. 

Shawn finished the last few weeks of sixth grade as one of the most attentive kids in the class. For the first time, Shawn had no distractions.

 

            Feeny had given Shawn detention.  It was the last day of school and Feeny had given Shawn detention.  Shawn had been an attentive pupil, had given up bullying, and had even been doing his homework.  None of that mattered though because one minor incident with a water balloon at recess and he was in detention. 

            Shawn walked into the class to see Minkus sitting in his old chair right at the front.  “What are you still doing here?” Shawn asked roughly as he marched into the class.

            Minkus jumped a mile and then stared at Shawn like a rabbit in headlights, completely unsure what to say. “I’m... um... It’s just... you see...” He trailed off for a moment, and then exhaled. His shoulders slumped. “I’m never going to sit here again,” he finished lamely.

            Shawn sat in his regular seat as well.  “I hadn’t really thought about it…we’re going to the big school next year...”

            Minkus turned around in his chair to face Shawn, leaning against the empty desk.  “...Yeah.”

            Shawn shrugged. “Well, don’t worry about it.  You’re smart, you’ll be fine.  My sister Stacey just graduated from there and she said that Feeny wouldn’t send us if we weren’t ready to go.”

            “I guess. It’s just hard.  It was so comfortable here, like...” Minkus paused, searching for the right words to describe what he was feeling. Shawn found it surprising – and a little satisfying – that Minkus’ massive vocabulary was actually failing him for once.

            “Old shoes?” Shawn suggested with a smile.

            “Huh?”

            “Old shoes. You know exactly how to wear them.”

            “Yeah, I guess.”

            “The only problem with old shoes is that they eventually wear out.”

            Minkus blinked at him.  “Where was this gift for language and metaphor in English class, where you actually could have used it?”

            “It’s my deep dark secret,” Shawn said in deadpan, but he followed it with a wink.

            Minkus grinned.  “Your secret is safe with me.”

            “Besides, it won’t be too bad.  We’ll all be there together – same class, different room, just like every other year,” Shawn said, enjoying the relaxed banter.

            The smile fell from Minkus’ face.  “...Actually, that’s not entirely accurate...”

            “Of course it is,” Shawn denied, “there’s only one junior high in our area.”

            Minkus started glancing around the room nervously, looking everywhere but at Shawn.  “Mr Feeny got me into an advanced program.  The classes are less structured, and more open to independent learning and branching out.”

            Shawn tried to talk around the lump that had grown in his throat. “So, what you’re saying is...?”

            Minkus fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “It’s unlikely that I’ll ever see any of you again...”

            At those words, something broke within Shawn.  All he could do was stare at Minkus as realization fought with denial, in his heart and on his face.  Time pressed on with neither emotion gaining the upper hand.

            The tension in the air was palpable, every passing moment made it thicken further.  Finally Minkus shouldered his backpack and started to leave, resigned to his future. 

            Shawn’s head was screaming as Minkus left, that this was his last chance.  This was his last chance before Minkus, his favourite distraction, walked out of his life forever.

            As Minkus passed the last desk Shawn reacted without thinking, his hand darting out and roughly pulling the smaller boy backwards.

            Minkus stumbled back, landing ungracefully in Shawn’s lap.

            Shawn had wrapped his arms loosely around Minkus’ waist to steady him.  Before Minkus could react, Shawn kissed him. 

            A simple kiss, a dry press of one set of lips against the other, but for one endless moment time seemed to stop. 

            Shawn watched as Minkus' eyes slid shut, and smiled against the other boy's mouth. 

            It was a perfect moment, frozen in time. 

            Without warning, Minkus pulled away, frantically releasing Shawn’s collar and trying to break the hold on his waist.

            Shawn let him go, bewildered and looking almost hurt.  Then he heard the rustling of papers and the footsteps outside the door just before it opened.

            “Hi, Mr Feeny!” Minkus said, a little too hastily and exuberantly, while throwing a nervous glance in Shawn’s direction. 

            “Ah, Mr Minkus, Mr Hunter. Having a last look?” Feeny asked, walking through the class to deposit his papers on the teacher’s desk.

            “Yeah...it’s going to be weird at the new school,” Minkus replied, eyes shifting back to Shawn. 

            “You know, I wouldn’t have suggested the advanced class if I had any doubt you could do it.”

            “I know I can do it,” Minkus said with his normal pompousness. Then he seemed to deflate.  “But what if I can’t?”

            “People who try and fail grow a lot more than people who never try at all.  You need to be challenged and you need to risk failure.  However, I have no doubt that you will rise to the occasion.  You’ll be fine.”

            Minkus smiled a bit.  “Thanks, Mr. Feeny.”  With one final glance at Shawn, Minkus walked out of sixth grade.

            “And you, Mr. Hunter?  Why aren’t you out shooting water at your peers with Mr. Matthews?”

            Shawn looked at him in confusion.  “You gave me a detention.”

            “Has it occurred to you that you aren’t a student in this institution any longer?”

            “...What’s your point?”

            “I can’t give you a detention today.  Go! Have fun!”

            Shawn didn’t have to be told twice.  Grabbing his bag, he rushed towards the door.

            “Oh, and Shawn,” Feeny called.

            Shawn aborted his escape and turned to look at Feeny.

            “You’ll be fine, too.”

            Shawn grinned, “Thanks, Mr. Feeny.”

 


End file.
